Agency's top honor recognizes pioneering leadership in crypto enforcement, dark-web securities fraud, and FinTech innovation
NEW YORK, 2021 — Law & Forensics LLC congratulates Expert Witness Dr. Morgan B. Ward Doran on receiving the SEC Chair's Award for Excellence in 2021. The award is among the highest distinctions conferred by the Securities and Exchange Commission, recognizing staff whose contributions have significantly advanced the agency's mission of protecting investors and ensuring the integrity of U.S. capital markets. (Source)
The recognition came during a pivotal period in Dr. Ward Doran's SEC career, coinciding with the culmination of several high-profile enforcement actions that he led or played a central role in prosecuting. Most notably, as a Senior Special Counsel in the SEC's Cyber Unit — a role he held from 2017 to 2021 — Dr. Ward Doran served as the unit's primary innovator for crypto, darknet, and AI-enabled fraud. His work included the landmark SEC v. Telegram Group Inc. case (19-CV-09439, S.D.N.Y.), which resulted in a major enforcement action against the Telegram messaging platform, and SEC v. Trovias (1:2021-CV-05925, S.D.N.Y.), a groundbreaking case involving securities fraud on the dark web.
In addition to his litigation role, Dr. Ward Doran founded and led the SEC's Dark Web Working Group, co-headed the Digital Asset Tracing Working Group, and built and operated the SEC's internal FinTech laboratory — becoming the first U.S. government entity to run an Ethereum node and bringing the first generative AI-enabled APIs to the agency.
" The SEC Chair's Award for Excellence reflects the exceptional standard of work Morgan has consistently delivered in some of the most technically demanding and consequential enforcement matters the agency has ever pursued," said Daniel Garrie, Co-Founder of Law & Forensics. "Our clients benefit directly from that expertise as the boundaries between financial markets and emerging technologies continue to evolve."
Dr. Ward Doran holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. He clerked on the United States Courts of Appeals for both the Ninth and Eleventh Circuits. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, multiple federal courts of appeals and districts, and the state bars of California (active) and Illinois (inactive). He joined Law & Forensics following his departure from the SEC in 2025 and advises on regulatory enforcement strategy, crypto investigations, securities and digital asset litigation support, and expert witness engagements.
About Law & Forensics
Law & Forensics LLC is a boutique forensic technology, cybersecurity, eDiscovery, and investigations firm founded by Daniel Garrie. The firm's panel of expert consultants provides forensic analysis, expert witness testimony, incident response, board-level consulting, and regulatory advisory services to law firms, corporations, government agencies, and courts worldwide. For more information, visit lawandforensics.com or call +1 (855) 529-2466.
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